Dear Ragom,

It is with both heavy heart but also great pride that I let you know of the passing of our beloved Cody over the weekend!

Cody was my Mother’s Day present in 2000. Cody was Denny and Gay L’s first foster, and I remember quite clearly that Denny wanted to keep him! Rescued as an approximately 9 mo old golden-guy, Cody was apparently given up by a loving family after a divorce. Our family (at the time, our first daughter was 18 mo old) was chosen because we had a young child and cat—both of which Cody had in his original home.

Fast forward through 5 relocations (my husband is in the pharmaceutical industry), a second child (the girls are now 11 and 14, respectively), and we have recently relocated to Pennsylvania. Cody lived with us in Minnesota, New Jersey, Illinois, California, and Pennsylvania. He was my constant companion.

Cody has had a wonderful life. He was particularly glad to be back in “snow country” as he LOVED the snow. We had spent the last 5 yrs in California. He never quite adjusted to ocean swimming. Never a “ball” guy, he always preferred to have a stick in his mouth!

About 4 months ago, he had a significant grand mal seizure. We immediately started phenobarb and he recovered well and has maintained quality of life despite the likely diagnosis of a brain tumor.

Sadly, over the weekend, he had another bad seizure. We rushed to urgent care where he seemed to bounce back. Overnight, he seized again and we were unable to stop the progression. We took him to urgent care again in the middle of the night and I made the decision to hold him while he was euthanized. While incredibly sad, I know without doubt that I made the right decision. He had 13 ½ years of great life (nearly 13 with us!)

He leaves sad human family members as well as two dog sisters.

If Denny is still with you, please let him know that I have always been grateful for his confidence in giving Cody to my family. We have now been involved with As Good as Gold (Illinois), Midwest Lab Rescue (Illinois), and Labs4Rescue (CT) since leaving Minnesota. We have welcomed Gabby, Booker, and Brooklyn (Labs), Kacey and Maya (Goldens) into our family. Brooklyn (9 mo) and Kacey (7 yrs) will miss Cody.

I’m attaching a few pictures of Cody!

Thank you for all you do.

Mary C

Cody and Erin - 2002 (Erin is also in photo above)

Family Thanksgiving - 2002